During periods of extreme heat, everyone is at an increased risk, including your pets. These conditions can increase heat related illness and increase the risk of fire and power outages.
We can all prepare for extreme heat by:
– Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids like water (about 1 cup for every 15-20 minutes that you’re in the heat). This the most important thing you can do to stay health and safe during a heat wave.
– Know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion: feeling dizzy and light headed is a sign of heat stroke. Lack of sweating is also a sign of heat stroke, that could require a visit to the hospital.
– Limit exposure outdoors. Stock up on key supplies such as groceries, medications, and drinking water to avoid the need to take extra trips outside.
– Ensure you have extra cooling options by freezing ice or ice packs, and chill water in spray bottles so you can cool yourself down.
– Check that cooling appliances are in working order (fans, air conditioners) and have back-up options that don’t require power (i.e. cold washcloths).
– While its tempting to access public water ways such as the Bow River, please be mindful of the potential dangers of strong current, debris, and visibility as the spring runoff is still occurring.
Further tips can be found at alberta.ca/ExtremeHeat
For more information on weather conditions, visit the Environment Canada website or download the WeatherCan app to your smart phones or devices
Alberta Health is sharing an Early Heat Notification based upon advice by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) that an extreme heat event will begin this Sunday (July 7) in the north and expand across the province on Monday (July 8).
Duration:
Compounding Events – Poor Air Quality due to smoke from wildfires:
Actions to take:
We are pleased to announce that Siksika Health Services has been selected as a funding recipient of the Indigenous Patient Navigator Program. This initiative, supported by the Government of Alberta, aims to address significant health inequities faced by Indigenous Peoples in Alberta, with intent to advance reconciliation with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit partners while improving health care outcomes across the province.
Siksika Health Services will utilize this funding to reduce barriers in accessing primary care services, support patient advocacy, and improve care coordination on and off Nation, with a focus on the broad range of services offered by Siksika Health.
“As a leader in First Nations healthcare, this investment will empower further successes in our work towards improving health care access and outcomes for Siksika Nation members. We are proud to support this vital work and look forward to the positive impact it will have on the health and well-being of our Nation members, and for Indigenous people across Alberta.”
~ Dr. Tyler White, CEO Siksika Health Services
“We are thrilled to see Siksika Health Services recognized with funding from the Indigenous Patient Navigator Program. The dedication and hard work of the Siksika Health team is truly commendable, and I have every confidence that this initiative will lead to significant enhancements in health outcomes for our community.”
~ Marsha Wolf Collar, Board Chair Siksika Health Services
The Alberta government is investing $27.1 million in the Indigenous Primary Health Care Innovation Fund, of which the Indigenous Patient Navigator Program will support 18 organizations with up to $450,000 each over three years. This achievement is part of Alberta Health’s broader effort to refocus the health care system on Indigenous health, creating a new division dedicated to removing barriers and building community-specific capacity for culturally safe primary care.
With the recent moisture that has fallen and as the humidity has risen, Siksika Nation’s Fire Restriction that was issued on June 26, 2024 has been LIFTED until further notice. In it place, Siksika Nation will enter into a FIRE ADVISORY, which means that open camp fires can occur, charcoal briquets can be used for cooking, and approved fire pits can be utilized again as well. Additional detail can be found in the letter below.
Siksika, please continue to use extreme care when enjoying an open camp fire with family and friends; it takes all of us working together to keep our community safe and healthy.
Siksika Nation has issued a Fire Restriction due to the dry, windy, and warm conditions that exist and are forecasted. There is a very high risk of fire spread during windy conditions in any cured (dead and dry) grass fuel type, such as those that exist across the area of Siksika Nation. Due to the rapidly changing weather conditions and the fine fuel moisture content, Siksika Nation may move to a Ban with little to no notice.
A Fire Restriction prohibits the use of wood campfires on public land, but does allow wood campfires inside provincial campgrounds and private property. For a list of relevant activities and their current restriction levels, please see the notice below. And please note that fire permits may be restricted, suspended or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.
Would like to welcome our two post secondary summer students: Nikko Hunt and Shaedon Wolf Child to Siksika Health Services. Their official titles are “Community Wellness HOPE Team Assistants”, and their job is to provide leadership and coordination for community events and youth suicide prevention programs, in collaboration with existing Community Wellness programming.
Thus far, we’ve been so grateful to have Nikko and Shaedon involved in the “Reconnecting After Dark” Sober Summer Kick off event, and the Calgary Surge Indigenous Heritage basketball game in Calgary. They are also assisting with the Siksika T-ball Program.
There are a few events on the horizon for which our post-secondary summer students will play a huge role: the Run As One Youth Awareness week, Wellness Outdoors Land-Based Activities for Youth, First Nations Health Consortium’s Youth Teepee Summit, and many more. We are excited for their enthusiasm and will count on their superb ability to engage and work in a meaningful, supportive, manner with community members and youth of Siksika!
Nikko Hunt, a current student at the University of Lethbridge, is joining the Siksika Health Services Hope Team as an assistant this summer. Nikko is going into her third year of university, attaining her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree in Drama Performance. She hopes to get an Education After-Degree once she has completed her current program.
So far in her degree, Nikko has participated as an actor in two of the University’s Mainstage productions, one of which was the first Indigenous-created productions at the University called Yisstsiiyi. Nikko is also scheduled to be a part of another Mainstage this fall, called alterNatives by Drew Hayden Taylor.
Nikko’s passion lies in theatre, performance, playwrighting, and other creative art forms. She hopes that in the future she can share this passion in a classroom of her own. Nikko is excited to be working with the Hope Team and looks forward to the many experiences she will have that will help her develop useful skills for her career. She is determined to serve both the Hope Team and the community well.
Oki, niistoo niitaniiko Maasaamii’poo’takii, Niiksista Annista Miisins’kai’kii, ninna Annistaapaa’tssi’taa.
Shaedon Wolf Child, daughter of Joset Melting Tallow (Niiksista Annista) and Eddie Wolf Child (Annistaapaa’tssi’taa) is 21 years old, and is a dedicated Bachelor of Education student at Mount Royal University. With two years of academic experience at MRU pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English, Shaedon is now embarking on her first year in the Education program, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Indigenous Studies, starting in the Fall of 2024.
Shaedon aspires to earn her B.Ed. and fulfill her passion for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) internationally, with hopes of working in diverse regions such as Mexico, Europe, and Asia. Her educational journey, marked by both challenges and triumphs, fuels her ambition to inspire and motivate young people to pursue their dreams and believe in their potential. In the summer of 2024, Shaedon was honored to join the Hope team, where she is committed to supporting the community with compassion and promoting wellness.
The 22nd annual Siksika Health Fair took place on April 17, 2024 at the Siksika Piiksapi Memorial Arbor. This year’s event was centred on the theme of Youth Mental Health, and featured Georges “Rush” St. Pierre, former Canadian professional mixed martial artist and world MMA Champion, and Ryan Straschnitzki, Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor. Our guests’ stories and authenticity helped ensure that Health Fair 2024 inspired our children, youth and community attendees with important messages of inspiring professionals who represent themselves and their profession with a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
The Health Fair is Siksika Health Services’ premiere event that provides our community members with the opportunity to learn, connect and engage with our departments and partners in health and wellness. This annual event offers holistic health promotion, health career information, and gives the community a chance to meet and listen to the health experiences of special guests.
On Tuesday April 30, 2024, Minister LaGrange visited Siksika Nation to hear firsthand the experiences and perspectives of First Nation people with Alberta’s health care system. Minister LaGrange addressed those in attendance that her Ministry of Health is taking steps to ensure the diverse perspectives of Indigenous Peoples and all Albertans are represented while working to address the unique challenges of each region with a goal to improving the delivery of health care.
Former Chief, Vincent Yellow Old Woman mentioned that while some say economic development is more important, our health is most important. He emphasized that the Minister plays a very important role to help improve the system for everyone, because some day, whether rich or poor, we will all get sick. “The key word is prevention!” Chief Yellow Old Woman reminded us. “Don’t get proud. Remain humble, you will get further in life.”
Siksika Health Board Chairperson, Marsha Wolf Collar highlighted the jurisdictional patchwork of provincial and federal systems that the Blackfoot and other First Nations are forced to muddle through when accessing health services; this is an impediment to good health care and good health. The health gap between First Nations and non-First Nations populations is significant, and represented in the life expectancy gap of nearly 20 years for Indigenous to non-Indigenous people. Until the barriers that limit access to quality, culturally safe health care is removed, existing health disparities will widen for the growing First Nations populations.
The Minister of Health, Adriana LaGrange expressed her belief that issues with the health care delivery system can change for the better. She acknowledged change agents such as Siksika Health Services and its CEO, Dr. Tyler White, who have been championing the modernization of primary care, and mentioned that the Government is in the process of implementing the Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Care System (MAPS) plan. In Minister LaGrange’s words, Alberta Health wants to hear “What is working well, and what is not working well.”
Siksika Nation Councillor Samuel Crowfoot addressed racism in the health system. He said that Siksika Nation looks forward to meaningful change and equitable health outcomes for Blackfoot people and all First Nations. He offered that the Alberta Health Services (AHS) complaint process is a waste of time, and that the AHS Advisory Councils need to see change. “We need our (Blackfoot) hospital back,” he said. “The Siksika Nation is a strong Nation, and we got here by working to address change for our people. This is our reality.” Councillor Crowfoot spoke to the treacherous and traumatizing situations that Blackfoot, and Indigenous people face when accessing healthcare in Alberta. “And so real meaningful change is required, and through continued engagement with the Minister and her department officials, together we can make a difference.”
Alberta Health continues to seek Albertan’s input for the refocusing of their efforts. For those who were unable to attend the April 30 information gathering session in person, feedback is welcomed by visiting the Alberta Health Refocusing Website, and clicking here to complete the form: https://your.alberta.ca/embeds/projects/40321/survey-tools/46508 (a phone-in option is also available: 403-310-0000.
Siksika Health Addictions Services follows the Stages of Change model, which supports an individual’s readiness to change their behaviour. The various “stages” describe how a person is thinking and behaving differently as they change over time.
Here, Siksika Nation member, Dale Yellowfly, takes us through his journey to sobriety. Dale’s skillful storytelling describes his experience along the path of the Stages of Change.
Earlier today, Siksika Health Services released the April 2024 Substance Use and Addictions Situational Report (sitrep) for Siksika Nation. We encourage all Siksikawa to review the report, and check in on loved ones who may be struggling with substance use issues.